Guest blogging at EUROPP: The AfD’s second place in Mecklenburg-West & the challenges facing Merkel in 2017

The result of yesterday’s regional election in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (aka Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for the initiated or Meck-Pomm for the impatient) was not a surprise, but still a shock to many. I wrote a short article for the LSE’s EUROPP blog. Angela Merkel’s CDU came third behind the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the German Social Democrats…

Germany’s AfD does a Trump, demands blanket ban on asylum for Muslims

In a press statement this morning, the AfD’s deputy leader Alexander Gauland (who is also head of the party’s chapter and the parliamentary party in the Eastern state of Brandenburg) has demanded a (temporary) ban on Muslims seeking refuge in Germany “until all asylum seekers in Germany have been registered, checked upon, and have their…

Quick hit on the Super State Election Sunday (TM)

A mere three hours after the event, it’s obviously too early to write something coherent about the three state elections that were held in Germany today. So let’s try it anyway: For the time being, Germany has a viable Radical Right Populist Party. A result of ~24% in the Eastern state of Sachsen-Anhalt is a…

The NPD ban, the AfD, and Germany’s role in the EU: Interview with NPR Worldview

The NPD ban, the AfD, and Germany's role in the EU: Interview with NPR Worldview 2

[contentcards url="https://www.wbez.org/shows/worldview/german-court-considers-case-that-would-ban-neo-nazi-party/42877584-36c8-4fa1-9ad2-f8690628b25e"] On Wednesday, I was live on NPR’s Worldview program talking about the possible ban of the NPD, the rise of the AfD, and the implications for the EU. That sounds like a lot of acronyms, but then again, 15 minutes was more than the 90 seconds of soundbites I had budgeted for :-)…